Senior Procurement Specialist

Role overview

Avery Dennison is looking for a Senior Procurement Specialist to lead strategic purchasing activity in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This role calls for an experienced procurement professional who can improve processes, strengthen supplier performance, and support business continuity across raw materials, indirect services, subcontractors, spare parts, and outsourced processing.

What you will do

• Create and run end-to-end category strategies for raw materials, indirect services, and subcontracted work, with a strong focus on total cost of ownership and long-term business value rather than just comparing a few quotes.
• Review current procurement workflows, spot inefficiencies, and redesign the procure-to-pay process so it becomes faster, leaner, and more responsive to business needs.
• Develop and maintain interactive dashboards using advanced Google Sheets tools such as Power Query and Pivot, or through Power BI, and help introduce generative AI for market research, contract review, and automated reporting.
• Own procurement activities with very little supervision, taking responsibility from stakeholder demand capture through to vendor performance management.
• Handle supplier price-change requests and market volatility in the UAE, while also responding to global logistics issues to protect contribution margins and keep plant operations running.
• Serve as a reliable partner to Finance, Operations, and senior leadership by turning procurement data into clear recommendations and business decisions.
• Manage contracts, critical spare parts sourcing, and outsourced processing arrangements to avoid any interruption to the business.
• Work closely with Engineering and Operations on function-versus-cost reviews for high-value items.
• Use should-cost models to test and challenge supplier pricing during complex negotiations.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of procurement experience, including a minimum of 3 years in a senior or strategic role; direct UAE market experience is required.
• Strong technical command of Excel, especially Power Query, Power Pivot, and data modeling, along with solid familiarity with ERP systems.
• Interest in or experience with AI-led transformation, predictive analytics, and automation in procurement processes.
• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, or a related field.
• CIPS Level 4/5 or CPSM certification is strongly preferred.
• Excellent negotiation ability, strong emotional intelligence, and the confidence to influence senior and C-suite stakeholders.
• A proactive, systems-building mindset rather than simply following established procedures.

Additional information

This position is based in Dubai and is a full-time onsite opportunity. The role is designed for someone who can operate independently, collaborate across functions, and bring a strategic, data-driven approach to procurement in a fast-moving market.